Summerabbacat

It is perfectly understandable that most, if not all, my fellow readers have assumed it is spermie who vaginally and anally raped Jill, but what if it was not. What if the incubator raped her, perhaps using a water bottle which she later discarded in the hole in the back yard and forgot about. Is it possible the incubator found out about spermie making Jill blow him and got jealous and in her twisted mind blamed "the little slut" for leading her father on, and thought by raping her it would teach spermie a lesson. Is Jill's rape or rapes linked to the water bottle? @drsawzall also raised a good point, expressing his concern as to the contents of the water bottle. Perhaps the water bottle contained water or some other liquid into which a drug or drugs were mixed to enable Jill's rapist unfettered access to her to rape her without any struggle. If she was drugged heavily enough she may have been unconscious during the rape or rapes. Whatever the outcome of spermie and the incubator's trial, if nothing else both should be neutered so that they can NEVER breed again. Many of this story's followers, including @Summerabbacat, are undoubtedly pleased Steve will be having that MRI to ensure the head beatings have not caused any neurological damage @Lee Wilson. I just hope he is not claustrophobic and that being placed into the "tunnel" does not cause flashbacks of being placed in the hole in the backyard. If so, it could cause him great distress, or if anything positive, the revelation of previously forgotten torture he has suffered. The jury is still out on the burgeoning Skylar/Brendan relationship @Lee Wilson. Some like myself are concerned that if it does not end well it could have repercussions on Brendan's "suitability" to adopt the children if and when such an opportunity presents itself.

Your usual dry wit shone @Robert Hugill with "On the other edge of the scale was the glossy couple in late-middle age who gave off that self-satisfied air of being regulars, she with carefully curated voluptuousness and he with a very smug belly." and "Only years of training in polite society prevented a nasty accident; as it was, I suspect Mother came rather close to spluttering out her drink. She stared at me, very pointedly. “Are you thinking of doing so?” I laughed so much I snorted. I love the very "Englishness" of much of your word play, and many of your characters and scenic descriptions @Robert Hugill. I often can almost "hear" some of the conversations between your characters and invariably have a vivid image of their appearance, usually a well known English actor or actress. For the whole of the conversation between Dante, Vaughan and Mother, I had a very vivid image of Susan and it was not until I completed reading this chapter that I realised it was Gemma Jones ala Mrs Dashwood from Sense & Sensibility that I had "seen". I even "heard" her voice (and I have not been consuming any alcohol but I am very tired). The mere mention of Titus exacerbated my allergies and my eyes "wept" profusely. I have had heavy sinus' all day so it came as no surprise. I sense reminiscing over photographs of Titus will do both Vaughan and Susan, but particularly Susan, a world of good. I do not like the word "lovely" as a general rule, but I think when the shoe fits, use it. This chapter was certainly de-lovely.

From 1971 it starred Clint Eastwood in a role where he did not play Dirty Harry or a variation thereof. Featured Roberta Flack's glorious rendition of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face which resulted in it climbing to the top of the pop charts and catapulted her to stardom. Jessica Walter played Evelyn and was truly scary; completely psychotic. A very good film which was very successful too.

I was being a tad facetious @Paladin, not "having a go" at you. I daresay Samantha in particular is enjoying many things she would not get to do at home and is far busier because of this, and Guy perhaps feels a sense of "duty" to spend as much time with his father as possible given his parents recent separation. It is likely Samantha and Guy are missing Ben and Tim just as much as they are missing them and talking to them often reminds them of this, or perhaps Samantha and Guy are consoling themselves with the fact that Ben and Tim have each other to comfort them whereas Samantha and Guy likely have no one. And your observations were once again spot on, Ben only noticed Tim's face covered with what Tim thought likely to be fear.

That is the one which Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni were in is it not? Given your comment I assume it has been in production for 25 years? I have seen it when I used to watch TV many years ago, and that was a TV show which I enjoyed if I watched it (and Christoper Meloni was hot).

I thought so too @Avogadro1001, which is why it stirred my rage to near boiling point. Although I have not observed it personally, I have read of, and been informed by others of, numerous instances where this behaviour has reared its ugly head. Many of our fellow humans have become voyeurs of violence and the misfortune of others, and this voyeurism does not seem to be gender-based as one may be inclined to think it would be. It is far more extreme than the age-old "truth" that one cannot tear one's eyes away if passing by a particularly gruesome car accident.

Pardon my ignorance @Ticklishboy30 but what is L&O SVU? I assume it is a TV show? I never watch TV so it is likely something I have never heard of.

Perhaps teenagers had a life then @Paladin and did not have to be on social media sharing photos of their latest bowel movement or what they had for dinner last night with their 500 closest Facebook friends or sharing a video of themselves on Instagram squeezing a zit or applying their make up. Maybe Samantha is swimming in the ocean, outside, in the sun, without SPF50 nuclear resistant suntan lotion on, and Guy is having a boy's day out with his Dad, pretending to perve on a couple of bonza sheila's at the local cricket oval. I don't think Tim has anything to worry about with Jonathon. Ben observed Jonathon's hand "roaming" in Tim's nether regions and would no doubt protect him from any taunting resulting from any mischief Jonathon may try to make. Additionally, I imagine Tim's popularity as the "star" of the high school musical will increase his popularity at school in the forthcoming year. But then again, maybe I am full of it.

I have no trouble believing the party-goers stood back and observed Dylan as somewhat of a freak for reacting to Angela's seizure, firstly for actually caring something was happening to her which required immediate medical attention, and secondly for attempting to take action to assist her. As @Al Norris commented, a hypoglycaemic attack is not to be taken lightly. My first cat was Type-1 diabetic for most of his life and had insulin injections twice a day for almost 10 years. He had quite a few hypoglycaemic attacks during his life, one of which would have certainly resulted in his death had I not been late in going out for dinner. I so wanted Dylan (or better still Liam) to pour alcohol on the party-goers who pulled out their iPhones to film Angela's seizure, and then throw a match at them. What the fuck is wrong with these parasites. Now if Liam were to go all psycho and beat on them it may have been worth filming and I for one would have cheered. And now after all the drama of the evening Jake and Liam are going to have a dick-measuring fight. Who has got the bigger dick and is therefore more worthy of Dylan's affection. If I could find fault with any of Dylan's behaviour in the past few chapters it would be the lie he told Jake that Liam was not the straight guy who was the object of his unrequited love, although if this and the last chapter are any reflection on the "real" Liam, I am not sure one can say he is 100% straight anyway. Outstanding writing again @Avogadro1001. Liam's description in chapter 1 of his high school as "Montgomery High was a toxic place." was perfectly illustrated by its abhorrent attendees in this chapter. C u next Tuesday describes many of them accurately.

I estimate this story is taking place in the early 2000's @weinerdog as the "cast" are still using landlines and the internet has not featured in the story thus far. Back then I think most Australian households were still receiving a telephone book(s) for their city/region and almost certainly directory assistance would still have been available too. I got a shock recently when I was walking somewhere between my apartment and the city centre (a distance of about 5km) and not only did I come across a public telephone booth but it had not been trashed (although I don't know if it worked). I suspect Jonathon may be at least a little bi-coastal (and I have refrained from attaching the video for this great disco song by The Boy From Oz @Cane23 and @Al Norris) or is at least curious and he thought Tim would be a "sure thing", especially with Guy away. The big lug gets more adorable with each passing chapter. He is missing Samantha and to his credit he is not embarrassed to admit it. He is a wonderful paradox, not at all the boofhead one could be forgiven for thinking he might be, more the thinking woman's crumpet. I daresay Samatha would enjoy spreading him with honey. Apart from the "Jonathon incident" a rather tame chapter emotionally compared to its immediate predecessors @Mark Ponyboy Peters.

Adam has spoken of Nan with such adoration previously, but on a more abstract level. In this chapter he revealed a great deal more about her, her physical appearance, habits and strength of character. She was clearly a formidable woman and her passing left Adam understandably devastated. Adam was very fortunate she instilled in him a true sense of his worth, regardless of his sexual orientation or quieter intellectual nature. What a delightful woman. The mistress of the household has two servants at her beck and bark now, as it should be. I cannot recall if she has been on her humans' bed before, but if she has she will undoubtedly love the new bed, particularly the "bounce".

"Then, eight and a half months later, this amazingly adorable little red-haired, green-eyed boy was born." OMG, this physical description of Levie brought to my mind a little leprechaun. If Maddox was not such a vile creature I would not dream of making such an insensitive and bitchy comment, but isn't the following a blatant exaggeration @Ticklishboy30, "He began to caress and fondle his stiffening manhood". In chapter 3 the exaggeration first arose with the comment regarding his "three-inch pencil-thin manhood", if nothing else he is guilty of false advertising. Dinky dick with yellowing rotting teeth. Poor man, I almost feel some sympathy for him. Almost. Triton will love having the trio to "love on" when they move permanently to the farm.

I still hope Triton gets the opportunity to kick Maddox's arse @Ticklishboy30 or some other form of punishment (and not just a little tickle either, a full on arse kicking).

Between the tears and the "memories" was one box enough @drsawzall?

Thank you @pvtguy and @Carybr; "snark" is so easy when one has a "target" like Therese. And to @CincyKris, my sentiments exactly regarding the 'Note to Therese'. The twins are already showing signs of "quiet" rebellion against Therese's puritanism. When reading this chapter I had a great chuckle as I imagined Jane and/or Alisa revealing to Therese that they have more in common with Beth than being vegetarian. This revelation on top of Ralph revealing he is gay may be enough to force Therese to become a cloistered nun. Oh what a blessed day that would be for all concerned.

My learned fellow reader from California, @weinerdog, speculated Liam may have a brain tumour. I had the same thought when Dylan observed: “Dylan, I didn’t know,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know about... About the...” He held out his hand and his shaking fingers pressed against my stomach. In other circumstances he might’ve seemed sincere, but boy, oh boy what a poor choice of words that was. “Do you want me to repeat myself?” I asked, grabbing his arm and doing my best to twist it away. “I fucking hate you, you god damned motherfucker.” His eyes snapped back at me, as if I just slapped him. “You didn’t know.” I repeated really to myself more than to him. “You didn’t fucking know...” I began laughing and he bit his lip. God, this guy acted better than DiCaprio in Revenant." I know next to nothing about meningitis other than that it can be fatal. In chapter 1 Liam revealed how ill he was when he had meningitis and how long it took him to recover, a recovery largely aided by his best friend at the time, Dylan. Is it possible Liam has some kind of neurological damage which makes him aggressive, and after the bouts of aggression he does not recall them. It sounds very far fetched, but I have a friend from my school days whose now deceased first husband had a motorbike accident in which he sustained permanent damage to the part of his brain which "controlled" acceptable social behaviour. He went from being a devoted husband to a complete manwhore whom she ended up divorcing. He spent the final years of his life living in a cave and dying from cancer. I found my attitude towards Liam seesawing back and forth in this chapter with each new revelation to Dylan and Dylan's reaction thereto. I was beginning to feel some genuine empathy for Liam until he uttered "But you will forgive me,” he breathed out. “Because you’re mine.” This comment appeared as the ultimate in arrogance and aggression, when only moments before Liam appeared barely hanging on by a thread and at his most vulnerable. He is an enigma and I am not as certain now that he is the psychopathic bastard he appears to be, or if he is that he is in full control at the time or aware of it afterwards. I cannot find fault with Dylan's response to Liam in this chapter. He is only 17 after all and has only ever had one person, Jake, reveal and act on an attraction to him. He is drunk and not in full control of himself, which given his slight build and inexperience with alcohol is hardly surprising. His judgment is clouded and Liam has revealed something so shocking to him, the revelation that he, Liam, knew Dylan was in love with him all along. One can hardly fault him for being completely blindsided by this and perhaps dare I say even feeling somewhat vindicated in his former love for Liam. Liam's plea to Dylan to beware Jake is difficult to gauge. Is it the plea of someone genuinely concerned for Dylan's welfare because he knows something about Jake or at least about Jake's father which is inconsistent with his "sainted" reputation, or is it the spiteful bitter plea of someone jealous of what Jake has in Dylan, someone determined to take what he believes is his "because you're mine". Observing that statement again is very fucking creepy. The party was not all drama, teenage angst and drunkenness though. Elle revealed herself to be a true friend to Dylan yet again, a good judge of character, and a woman with a great sense of humour when she uttered "Jesus Christ, I can see her snatch from up here!". This comment about the odious Jessica was for me one of the highlights of the story to date, only equalled by Dylan himself in an earlier chapter when he said to the equally odious Trish “I’m sorry, who are you again?”. Jessica and Trish, spiteful nasty trash, much like Chrissy and her pack of hyenas from Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. Brilliantly written chapter @Avogadro1001, worthy of at least five 🥑, crushed with a squeeze of lime juice, splashed with some sweet chilli and served on organic tortilla chips or piping hot crusty sourdough baguette (and perhaps accompanied by a glass or more of margarita).

My apologies to any Evelyn's who may read this, but Lanny's mother is one ignorant, deranged, battle-axe. Was her name inspired by the character Evelyn Draper from the film Play Misty For Me @Lee Wilson? For the sake of Lanny and to protect himself and the children from any vindictive backlash from Evelyn Harper, I believe Brendan should have reported her behaviour to CPS. Hopefully the police will make a record of their visit and the aggressive behaviour she exhibited towards Brendan. I suppose he also has Jack as a witness to her aggression. I wonder if she is perhaps friends with spermie and the incubator. I have to wonder if Lanny has been subjected to the same groping he subjected Jill too. Is it that Evelyn is not just ignorant and deranged, but also a child molester. Or perhaps @weinerdog's speculation Lanny groped Jill to compensate for unwanted gay feelings has a valid basis. If Evelyn regularly rails against gay men with the same degree of vehemence as she did towards Brendan perhaps Lanny's groping of Jill was to prove to her he is not a "fucking faggot". I fear Brendan is playing with fire if he intends to pursue a sexual relationship with Skylar. And Skylar is a fool; he has shown himself to be indiscreet in revealing details of spermie's sister's drug addiction disqualifying her from being a possible guardian for the children. Wow! You have a talent for writing these hateful characters @Lee Wilson. The truly "scary" thing about characters like Evelyn Harper though is that they are very believable. One only has to look on the internet for examples of this extreme behaviour demonstrated by any number of women, albeit usually against other women. You have some there in the USA in the political landscape and we have one here in Australia, also a political "conservative" who has at times behaved in public like a rabid dog.

I see old habits die hard @Robert Hugill; another well-written, engaging and inevitably humorous chapter, all of which because it is taking place in the Hugillverse. In this chapter we are introduced to Ralph's colleagues, Ivor and Beth, the latter of whom is a lesbian and whose partner's brother is gay. And if I were a betting man I would say that she knows or at least suspects Ralph is gay too. Ivor and Beth are very likeable, he with his ghastly sandwiches (ham and egg mayonnaise) and she with her delicious Tofu tikka teriyaki and spicy lentil soup (the latter home-made is a regular for me during the winter months). And I have to sing Ralph's praises here for making a concerted effort to take his daughters' vegetarianism seriously. Therese upon second "examination" did not improve, if anything she is even more repellant. "Ever since the scans, when we found out it was twin girls, Therese was planning everything in detail. Her daughters would be the perfect little ladies." She needs an enema because she has clearly already had a lobotomy. Maurice, the CEO of a potential new client, Iverson's, has requested a face-to-face meeting with Ralph. He is apparently the driving force behind a campaign for the "pink dollar", with swimwear designed specifically to appeal to gay men. He has retained the services of a designer who works for a "gay lifestyle store". This has the trio intrigued, with Ralph also somewhat disconcerted. I think Beth may have picked up on this given her comment "You comfortable with the Iverson's job? You know, all those bits and bobs." Will it be Maurice who will motivate Ralph to start to "break free"? Or will it be the designer from the "gay lifestyle store" or if Ralph wins the lottery, a hot swimwear model who becomes besotted with Ralph, likes Jane and Alisa, and loathes Therese. Whatever the outcome of Ralph's meeting with Maurice, I sense the temperature (and quite possibly the swimwear) is about to rise. I look forward to @Gary L's comments again. What are all you "hotties" wearing in Spain on the beach this summer? Something "smaller, more revealing and preferably with your bits highlighted." Aussiebum swimwear perhaps?

Perhaps heavily soiled litter deposited at their front door in lieu of a good slapping. Vile creatures.

Thank you @Avogadro1001. It is a pleasure to record observations regarding well written, entertaining and enjoyable works, even if at times they enrage one with the behaviour of one or more of the characters.

It appears many of my fellow readers share my skepticism regarding Jake or at least Jake's father, which may impact upon Jake too. My suspicions of his father are of financial impropriety and/or financial malfeasance. Jake is not obviously manipulative, but in subtle and devious ways he has been "grooming" Dylan to make him a more "suitable" partner at best or accessory at worst. An occasional gift would appear genuine, but the frequency and generosity of the gifts has me doubting his motives are entirely selfless. Although it appears Dylan is totally "over" Luke, clearly he is not. He seemingly has not resolved the abandonment he felt when Luke not only rejected him, but physically abused him. If one were to attempt to interpret his dream about Liam from which he has awoken shaking and sweating, it may be that he still has a physical and/or emotional attachment to Liam despite the appalling suffering he has suffered at Liam's hands, both figuratively and literally. The relationship between Dylan and Liam and the aftermath of its destruction is a complex one @Avogadro1001, one which you are presenting with startling authenticity. It is easy to be objective and assess that Liam is an arsehole, Dylan a fool if he resumes any kind of friendship or relationship with Liam and Jake to be good to be true. I can only but imagine how suffocating it would be to be in a situation like Dylan finds himself.

A second "Kodak moment". I cannot take any more of this perfection. If I was wearing eyeliner I would look like a raccoon. My eyes are watering again and I cannot just blame the gas heater or allergies. A heart-warming story from beginning to end @Ticklishboy30.

I meant what Triton did to Maddox.

OMG what a "Kodak moment". Michie is a very lucky boy, he is going to have an extended family and his beloved grandfather, Brad, to guide him through life after such a shitty start to life.

It is good to know I did not miss anything. The aftermath of the assault on Troy in the 2024 revision is so very different from what I remember in the prior edition of this story that I thought I might have somehow missed reading an entire chapter.